On 7/3/2024 7:09 PM, Jim Anderson wrote:
He also has an html page with the source code broken down and annotated (http://archives.oldskool.org/pub/drivers/Tandy/nemesis.lonestar.org/computers/tandy/software/apps/model100/period/per17m.html) which explains how the program works and goes into some detail on the struggles he had getting good consistent data on some of the elements to put in the program... (this is probably one of the printouts seen on the display table at the exhibition)
It is, and I found it entertaining: "For crystal structure, I ran into a similar problems, and began to wonder how anything can get done in area of Chemistry if the scientists can't agree on the crystal shape of even a stable, common and well-understood element like Oxygen. Three references offered three different crystal structures for Oxygen (cubic, hexagonal and diamond), and failed to all agree for almost a quarter of all the elements that have known crystals. The CRC handbook would have been used as the final authority, but they frequently failed to provide crystal information on the simple elements in their tables, even though they listed freezing points for the elements in question. For example, CRC did not list a crystal structure for Mercury (Hg) and other sources did, but CRC did list a crystal structure for Mercury chromate (HgCrO4) and numerous other Mercury compounds, all of which was useless here. Therefore, the crystal shape used is that which was stated in the 1980 edition of a Sargent-Welch periodic table I got back in 1982. The elements discovered since then don't last long enough or the researchers don't have enough of the atoms of that element in one place at the same time for anybody to actually know what their crystal shape is, so using this older reference wasn't a big problem. I would accept corrections, but there seems little point since so many respected publishers have so many discrepancies over what should be universal constants. The lack of agreement means that having a non-chemist trying to verify a submitted correction would be impractical." Thanks for figuring this out. I'll try to let someone know about the issue. Jim
